1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of treating the skin with therapeutic organic acids. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of treating the skin with water soluble organic acids in which a composition containing the water soluble organic acids is encapsulated in microspheres through which the organic acids elute in the presence of water.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many organic acids, such as alpha-hydroxy acids, beta-hydroxy acids, keto-acids, di-alpha-hydroxy acids and poly-hydroxy carboxylic acids are known to be useful in the treatment of skin conditions. These organic acids, referred to collectively as "therapeutic organic acids", can be used to topically treat skin conditions attributed to, accompanied by or exacerbated by abnormal desquamation. Such conditions include, for example, dry skin, ichthyosis, palmar and plantar hyperkeratoses, dandruff, lichen simplex chronicus, Dariers disease, keratoses, lentigines, age spots, melasmas, blemished skin, acne, psoriasis, eczema, pruritis, inflammatory dermatoses, striae distensae (i.e., stretch marks), warts and calluses.
Therapeutic organic acids are useful active agents in topical preparations for treating signs of dermatological aging, i.e. photoaging and intrinsic aging, including skin wrinkles such as fine wrinkles around the mouth area, irregular pigmentation, sallowness and loss of skin resilience and elasticity.
Therapeutic organic acids and topical compositions containing therapeutic organic acids are also useful for treating disorders associated with nails, cuticles and hair such as ingrown hair, folliculitis, and Pseudofolliculitis barbae. These therapeutic organic acids also soften hair and aid in the elimination of ingrown hairs, thus making therapeutic organic acids useful as components in shaving compositions.
Although useful in the treatment of a number of skin conditions, effective levels of therapeutic organic acids cannot generally be provided in stable, anhydrous compositions. Thus, a method of treating the skin with effective levels of therapeutic organic acids, in which the organic acid can be topically delivered to the skin in a stable anhydrous composition, has remained unavailable.